JP5701625B2 - Ophthalmic laser treatment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus that performs treatment by irradiating a patient's eye with laser light.

  A photocoagulation device is known as one of ophthalmic laser treatment devices. In photocoagulation treatment (for example, panretinal photocoagulation treatment), treatment laser light is irradiated to the fundus tissue of a patient's eye one by one to heat the tissue. At the time of irradiation of the treatment laser light, visible aiming light (aim light) for aiming the treatment laser light is irradiated (for example, see Patent Document 1). In recent years, an apparatus has been proposed in which a scanning unit equipped with a galvanometer mirror or the like is incorporated in a laser light delivery unit and a treatment laser light spot is scanned on the fundus tissue based on a preset irradiation pattern of a plurality of spots. (For example, see Patent Documents 2 and 3). In this apparatus, for example, a plurality of predetermined irradiations such as a pattern in which spots are arranged in a rectangular matrix such as 3 × 3, 5 × 5, or a pattern in which spots are arranged in an arc shape (including a fan shape). The pattern is stored in advance in the memory, and the surgeon can select a desired irradiation pattern according to the state of the tissue. Aiming light is also irradiated based on the irradiation pattern.

JP 2002-224154 A JP 2006-524515 A Special table 2009-514564 gazette

  The technique of Patent Document 2 scans the aiming light (irradiates the tissue) at high speed so that all the spots of the aiming light can be seen simultaneously with respect to the spot position irradiated with the treatment laser light when aiming with the aiming light. is there. However, since all the spots of aiming light can be seen at the same time, the field of view is hindered by the aiming light, making it difficult to observe the state of the fundus tissue in which the aim is aimed. In particular, when the spot of aiming light becomes large, the adverse effect is large. In addition, when the irradiation pattern is set so that the spot is irradiated over a wide area, it is necessary to greatly shift the irradiation area of the aiming light in order to confirm the tissue at the spot position, which is complicated. Yes, it takes time to redo the aiming. The work of switching the irradiation and stopping of the aiming light by a switch operation is also complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus that makes it easy to confirm the state of the tissue at the aiming position when aiming with a spot of aiming light.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by having the following configuration.
(1) A treatment laser light source that emits treatment laser light, an aiming light source that emits aiming light, and an irradiation unit that irradiates the treatment laser light and aiming light to a patient's eye. An irradiation unit including a scanning unit that scans two-dimensionally on a tissue of a patient's eye, and scans and irradiates a spot of a treatment laser beam based on an irradiation pattern in which a plurality of spots are arranged in a predetermined pattern In the ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus, when aiming before irradiation of treatment laser light, the control unit drives the scanning unit based on the irradiation pattern to control irradiation of aiming light, and a plurality of spots of the irradiation pattern Is divided into a first area on the outer periphery and a second area inside the first area, and the spot of aiming light in the first area is simultaneously recognized by the operator. The irradiation of the aiming light is controlled so that the spot of the aiming light in the second region is intermittently recognized by the operator, or the first region and the second region are controlled. Control means for controlling the irradiation of the aiming light is provided so that the spot of the aiming light in the region is recognized separately and intermittently by the operator .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily confirm the state of the tissue at the aiming position even when aiming with the spot of aiming light.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an optical system and a control system of an ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus that performs photocoagulation treatment of the fundus.

  The ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus 100 roughly includes a laser irradiation optical system (irradiation unit) 40 including a laser light source unit 10, an observation optical system 30, an illumination optical system 60, a control unit 70, and an operation unit 80. The laser light source unit 10 includes a treatment laser light source 11 that emits treatment laser light, an aiming light source 12 that emits visible aiming laser light (aiming light), and a beam splitter (combiner) that combines the treatment laser light and the aiming light. 13 and a condenser lens 14 are provided. The beam splitter 13 reflects most of the treatment laser light and transmits part of the aiming light. The combined laser light is collected by the condenser lens 14 and is incident on the incident end face of the optical fiber 20 that is guided to the laser irradiation optical system 40. In addition, a shutter 15 for blocking the treatment laser light is provided between the treatment laser light source 11 and the beam splitter 13. A second shutter 16 is provided in the optical path through which the aiming light and the treatment laser light are guided from the aiming light source 12. The shutter 16 is a safety shutter that is closed when an abnormality occurs, but may be used to irradiate and block the aiming light when the aiming light is scanned (irradiated on the target surface). The shutter 15 may also be used to irradiate and block treatment laser light. Each shutter may be replaced with a galvanometer mirror having a function of switching the optical path.

  In this embodiment, the laser irradiation optical system 40 is a delivery attached to a slit lamp (not shown). Laser light (treatment laser light and aiming light) emitted from the optical fiber 20 passes through a relay lens 41, a zoom lens 42 that can move in the optical axis direction to change the spot size of the laser light, a mirror 43, and a collimator lens 44. Then, the fundus of the patient's eye E is irradiated through the scanning unit 50, the objective lens 45, and the reflection mirror 49. The scanning unit 50 is configured by a scanning optical system having a scanner mirror that two-dimensionally moves the irradiation direction (irradiation position) of laser light. The scanning unit 50 includes a first galvanometer mirror (galvano scanner) 51 and a second galvanometer mirror 55. The galvanometer mirror 51 includes a first mirror 52 that reflects laser light and an actuator 52 that is a drive unit that drives (rotates) the mirror 52. Similarly, the galvanometer mirror 55 includes a second mirror 56 and an actuator 57. The laser light that has passed through each optical element of the laser irradiation optical system 40 is reflected by the reflection mirror 49 and irradiated to the fundus that is the target surface of the patient's eye E (on the tissue of the patient's eye) via the contact lens CL. .

  The zoom lens 42 is held by a lens cam (not shown), and each zoom lens 42 is moved in the optical axis direction when the lens cam is rotated by an operator's operation. The position of the zoom lens 42 is detected by an encoder 42a attached to the lens cam. The control unit 70 receives position information (detection signal) of each lens from the encoder 42a, and obtains the spot size of the laser light. The scanning unit 50 is controlled based on a command signal from the control unit 70 so that the laser beam (spot) is formed as a two-dimensional irradiation pattern on the target surface. The irradiation pattern is an array pattern of spots on the target surface, and refers to a pattern in which spots are scanned on the target surface. Although not shown, the reflection mirror 49 is connected to a mechanism (manual manipulator) that two-dimensionally tilts the optical axis of the laser beam by an operator's operation.

  The configuration of the scanning unit 50 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the scanning unit 50. The mirror 52 is attached to the actuator 53 so that the reflecting surface can be swung in the x direction. On the other hand, the mirror 56 is attached to the actuator 57 so that the reflecting surface can be swung in the y direction. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the mirror 52 coincides with the y axis, and the rotation axis of the mirror 56 coincides with the z axis. The actuators 53 and 57 are connected to the control unit 70 and driven individually. The actuators 53 and 57 include a motor and a potentiometer (both not shown), and the mirrors 52 and 56 are independently rotated (oscillated) based on a command signal from the control unit 70. At this time, the position information of how much the mirrors 52 and 56 have been rotated is sent to the control unit 70 by the potentiometers of the actuators 53 and 57, and the control unit 70 can grasp the rotation positions of the mirrors 52 and 56 with respect to the command signal. .

  The observation optical system 30 and the illumination optical system 60 are mounted on a slit lamp. The observation optical system 30 includes an objective lens, a variable power optical system, a protective filter, an erecting prism group, a field stop, an eyepiece, and the like. The illumination optical system 60 that can illuminate the patient's eye with slit light includes an illumination light source, a condenser lens, a slit, a projection lens, and the like.

  Connected to the control unit 70 of the apparatus 100 are a memory 71, light sources 11 and 12, an encoder 42a, actuators 53 and 57, an operation unit 80, and a foot switch 81 as trigger input means for irradiating laser light. The operation unit 80 includes a touch panel display 82 that also serves to set laser irradiation conditions, change an irradiation pattern, and input. Various types of panel switches are provided on the display 82, and parameters of irradiation conditions for laser light irradiation can be set. The display 82 has a function of a graphical user interface, and is configured so that the user can visually confirm and set numerical values and the like. The items of irradiation conditions include a treatment laser light output setting unit 83, an irradiation time (pulse width) setting unit 84, a rest time (treatment laser light irradiation time interval) setting unit 85, and a treatment laser light irradiation pattern (target surface). Menu switch for calling a setting unit 86 for setting the spot position of the treatment laser beam to be formed on the screen, a mode setting unit (mode selection means) 87 for setting the aiming mode, a detailed setting switch 88, and other setting units. 82a etc. are prepared. The mode setting unit 87 can switch and set a plurality of aiming modes.

  A numerical value can be set by touching each item on the display 82. For example, a candidate that can be set in a pull-down menu is displayed by touching the switch 86a by the surgeon, and a setting value in the item is determined by the operator selecting a numerical value from the candidates. A plurality of irradiation patterns are prepared in advance and can be selected on the display 82 by the surgeon. The irradiation pattern is, for example, a pattern (rectangular pattern) in which spots (spot positions) are arranged in a square matrix such as 2 × 2 (vertical × horizontal), 3 × 3, 4 × 4, etc., and spots are curved (or arcs) ) Pattern (curve pattern or arc pattern), arc pattern arranged in the outer diameter direction or inner diameter direction (fan pattern), spot pattern arranged in a circle (circle pattern), this circle pattern is divided A pattern (circle division pattern), a straight line pattern in which spots are arranged in a straight line, and the like are prepared by the apparatus manufacturer and stored in the memory 71. For the circle pattern, a half circle, a quarter circle, a quarter circle, and the like are prepared.

  Here, in the irradiation pattern described above, a part of the pattern is obtained by arranging a plurality of small patterns (referring to a small set of spots that divide the entire irradiation pattern) in which spots are arranged in a line (straight line or curved line). Two irradiation patterns are used. For example, a 3 × 3 rectangular pattern is formed as a single pattern by arranging three (three) small patterns in which three spots are arranged in a straight line (extending in the horizontal direction). In the fan-shaped pattern, one pattern (herein referred to as a triple arc) is obtained by arranging three small patterns in which spots are arranged in a curved line.

  The irradiation pattern can be selected from a plurality of irradiation patterns stored in the memory 71 by a switch 86 a of the setting unit 86 and displayed on the screen of the setting unit 86. Information on the spot size of the laser light that is changed by the movement of the zoom lens 42 is displayed on the display 82.

  Here, the radius (or diameter) of the circular pattern is determined by the operation unit 80. Spots are arranged on a circle with a predetermined radius (a curved shape that forms a circle). At this time, the number of spots in the circular pattern changes depending on the setting of the spot size and the spot interval. In the present embodiment, the number of spots is changed between 3 and 32.

  When the foot switch 81 is stepped on by the operator, the control unit 70 irradiates the laser beam so as to form a pattern of the treatment laser beam on the target surface based on various parameter settings. The control unit 70 controls the light source 11 and controls the scanning unit 50 based on the set pattern to form a treatment laser light pattern on the target surface (fundus).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the irradiation pattern of the spot of the treatment laser beam. As shown, the spots S are arranged in a 3 × 3 square matrix to form a pattern. Here, the spot S indicates both aiming light and treatment laser light. Based on such a pattern, the treatment laser beam and the aiming beam are scanned by the scanning unit 50, and a pattern is formed on the target surface. In the treatment laser light irradiation, the irradiation of the spot S is started from the start position SP, and the spot S is scanned two-dimensionally toward the end position GP. In the present embodiment, as indicated by the arrows in the figure, the spots S are scanned in order to the adjacent spots S so as to move between the spots S as efficiently as possible.

  The interval between the spots S can be arbitrarily set within a range of 0.5 to 2 times the spot diameter by a spot interval setting unit 89 provided on the display 82. As shown in FIG. 3, when the spot arrangement is a square pattern, the spots S are formed so as to have equal intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the circular pattern, spots are arranged on the circle based on a preset circle diameter (or radius), spot size, and spot interval (the control unit 70 scans treatment laser light and aiming light).

  In the apparatus having the above configuration, the sighting operation by the irradiation of aiming light will be mainly described. Prior to surgery, surgical conditions such as irradiation pattern, therapeutic laser beam spot size, therapeutic laser beam output, and laser beam irradiation time at one spot are set. For example, for the panretinal photocoagulation treatment, it is assumed that the spot size of the treatment laser beam is set to 200 μm, and a 5 × 5 square pattern is selected as the irradiation pattern. Further, as the aiming light mode, the mode setting unit 87 can select the first aiming mode and the second aiming mode. First, a case where the first aiming mode is selected will be described.

  The first aiming mode is a mode in which all spots of aiming light are recognized at the same time as in the prior art. The surgeon observes the fundus illuminated by the illumination light from the illumination optical system 60 with the observation optical system 30, observes the spot position where the aiming light is irradiated, and a slit lamp equipped with the laser irradiation optical system 40. The optical system (comprising the observation optical system 30 and the illumination optical system 60) is moved with respect to the patient's eye and aimed at the treatment site. In the first aiming mode, the driving of the aiming light source 12 and the scanning unit 50 is controlled based on the irradiation pattern so that all spots of the irradiation pattern are simultaneously observed by the surgeon as an afterimage of the aiming light when aiming. That is, at each spot position, the driving of the galvanometer mirrors 51 and 55 of the scanning unit 50 is stopped and the aiming light is irradiated with a pulse width of a certain time (for example, 10 ms). When the spot is moved to the next spot position, the irradiation of the aiming light is stopped. If the speed (cycle) of one scan to each spot position is shorter than the time when the afterimage effect occurs in the human eye, each spot is simultaneously observed by the operator.

  Next, a case where the second aiming mode is set will be described. In the first aiming mode, it may be difficult to confirm the state of the fundus tissue at each spot position. In particular, when an irradiation pattern in which a laser beam is irradiated over a wide range is selected, such as a square pattern in which spots are arranged in 5 × 5, it is difficult to check the state of the fundus tissue. In this case, the second aiming mode described below is preferably used.

  A first example of the second aiming mode will be described. Of the plurality of spot positions constituting the irradiation pattern, the irradiation pattern is divided into a first area on the outer periphery for allowing the operator to recognize the irradiation range of the treatment laser light and a second area inside the first area. . The division of the first area and the second area is determined by the control unit 70 based on the arrangement of spots of the selected irradiation pattern. For example, in the rectangular pattern in which the spots are arranged in 5 × 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the first area Sc of the 16 spots on the outer periphery including the spots of at least four corners, and the inside 9 of the first area Sc. It is divided into the second region Si of the spot. In at least the second region Si with respect to the first region, the irradiation of the aiming light and the driving of the scanning unit 50 are intermittently controlled at a time interval such that the situation of the spot position can be easily confirmed by the operator. The In other words, in the second region Si, the aiming is performed so that the tissue state at the spot position and the spot of the aiming light can be recognized at a certain time (a predetermined time during which the spot of the aiming light is not simultaneously observed by the operator). Light irradiation and stopping are controlled.

  Preferably, the irradiation of the aiming light is controlled so that each spot of the first region Sc is simultaneously recognized by the operator. The spot of the second region is further divided into a plurality of sub-regions, and the irradiation of the aiming light is controlled so that the operator can intermittently recognize the spot for each of the divided sub-regions. Here, one group (dividing the irradiation pattern) is formed by the first region and any one of the sub-regions. In the 5 × 5 irradiation pattern of FIG. 4, the subregion Si is divided into subregions Si1, Si2, and Si3 for each horizontal row.

  Specific control will be described. From the first scan to the fourth scan, as shown in FIG. 5A, the scanning unit 50 and aiming are performed so that only the 16 spot positions of the first region Sc are irradiated with the aiming light spots. The drive of the light source (or shutter 16) is controlled by the control unit 70. At each spot position, aiming light is irradiated with a pulse width Ta (for example, 3 ms) for a fixed time, and emission of the aiming light is stopped when the spot moves. Further, the driving of the galvanometer mirrors 51 and 55 is stopped so as to guide the aiming light to the spot position of each group in synchronization with the emission of the aiming light.

  In the next fifth scan, as shown in FIG. 5B, in addition to the first region Sc, the spot of the aiming light is irradiated to the spot position of the sub-region Si1 in the second region Si. Driving of the scanning unit 50 and the aiming light source (or the shutter 16) is controlled. From the 6th scan to the 9th scan, again, as shown in FIG. 5A, only 16 spot positions in the first region Sc are irradiated with the aiming light spots. In the next tenth scan, as shown in FIG. 5C, in addition to the first region Sc, a spot of the aiming light is irradiated to the spot position of the sub-region Si2 in the second region Si. From the 11th scan to the 14th scan, again, as shown in FIG. 5A, only 16 spot positions in the first region Sc are irradiated with the aiming light spots. In the 15th scan, as shown in FIG. 5D, in addition to the first region Sc, the spot of the aiming light is irradiated to the spot position of the sub-region Si3 in the second region Si. Thereafter, the cycle from the first scan to the fifteenth scan is repeated.

In the above example, assuming that the irradiation time (pulse width) Ta of the aiming light irradiated to each spot position is set to 3 ms and the moving time of one spot is 1 ms on average, FIG. In the case of only the first region Sc, the time for one scan is 64 ms (0.064 seconds). If the irradiation of the aiming light of one scan is less than 0.1 seconds, all spots are easily recognized at the same time by the recognition of the afterimage by the human eye. Since the scan in FIG. 5A is repeated for four scans, this time is 224 ms (0.224 seconds).
On the other hand, when the aiming light is applied to the sub-regions Si1, Si2, and Si3 every four scans as in the above example, the time for one scan is 76 ms (0.076 seconds). Therefore, the states of the aiming light in FIGS. 5B, 5C, and 5D are observed about every 0.3 seconds. In other words, the spot of one region of the sub-region Si1, Si2, Si3 of the second region Si is sequentially switched every 0.3 seconds, and no spot of aiming light is observed in the two regions. In addition, the surgeon can confirm the condition of the fundus tissue. Further, the positional relationship between the spot position of the treatment laser beam and the treatment site can be grasped by the aiming light spots of the regions Si1, Si2, and Si3 that are intermittently observed every about 0.3 seconds.

  When the surgeon steps on the foot switch 81 after the aiming is completed, irradiation of the treatment laser beam is started. Based on the trigger signal from the foot switch 81, the control unit 70 stops emitting the aiming light from the light source 12, emits the treatment laser light from the treatment laser light source 11, and controls the scanning unit 50 to control each spot position. The treatment laser light is sequentially irradiated onto the (5 × 5 square pattern). Each spot position is irradiated with the treatment laser light based on the set time of the pulse width of the treatment laser light, and the spot is moved during the rest time of the treatment laser light.

  As described above, by controlling the irradiation of the aiming light, it becomes easy to confirm the state of the fundus tissue at each spot position in parallel with aiming at the target treatment site. That is, when aiming light at the first region Sc indicating the irradiation range of the treatment laser beam can be aimed at the target treatment site, and the spot of the irradiation pattern is moved to another site as in panretinal photocoagulation treatment In addition, aiming can be performed in the same manner as in the first aiming mode. On the other hand, since the aiming light is intermittently irradiated in the second region Si, the state of the fundus tissue at each spot position can be confirmed while the aiming light is not irradiated. Further, since the spot of the aiming light is emitted after a certain time, the spot position where the treatment laser light is emitted can be recognized.

  In the above example, the spot of the aiming light is observed almost simultaneously at the spot position of the first region Sc. When it is desired to check the state of the fundus tissue at the spot position, the irradiation of the aiming light is performed for one spot. Since it is sufficient to shift the area, there is no great burden and less time is required for aiming again.

  The above embodiment can be variously modified. The order of scans in which the aiming light is irradiated onto the sub-regions Si1, Si2, and Si3 of the second region Si (scans with four scans between them) is merely an example, and the total number of spots in the irradiation pattern and aiming at one spot It is appropriately set in relation to the irradiation time of light and the time required for one scan. Further, the spot of aiming light may be irradiated to all spot positions in the second region Si with a predetermined number of scans (time) without providing the subregions Si1, Si2, and Si3. For example, the aiming light is irradiated to the second region Si in an intermittent (switching) time of 0.1 second or more and 3 seconds or less. When the intermittent time of the aiming light to the second region Si is less than 0.1 seconds, each spot is recognized simultaneously by the afterimage, or each spot is recognized as flickering, which is preferable for intermittent observation. Absent. If the intermittent time (switching time) is 3 seconds or more, it is difficult to confirm the spot position by aiming light. In the above description, the intermittent time of the aiming light is set to 0.1 second or longer. However, in order to make the surgeon recognize the aiming light intermittently, a lower limit of time per scan may be set. For example, one scan may be 0.3 seconds.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 4, all of the outer peripheral spot positions are defined as the first region Sc. However, when the irradiation pattern is a square pattern, at least as shown by the oblique lines in FIGS. A portion including the spot positions at the four corners may be set as the first region Sc. FIG. 6A shows an example in which the four corner spot positions S11, S15, S51, and S55 are the first region Sc, and FIG. 6B includes the four corner spot positions and the outer peripheral spot positions. In this example, the first region Sc is formed with a space between one spot position.

  In the case of a linear irradiation pattern in which the spot positions are arranged in a line as shown in FIG. 6C, the spot positions S11 and S15 at both ends are set as the first area Sc, and the spot positions in the inner area May be the second region Si. Further, when the spot positions are arranged in a circle or a fan shape, as in the method of FIG. 6B, the first area Sc is formed by opening one or two spot positions at the outer spot positions. What should I do? In these cases, the inside of the first region Sc is the second region Si.

  In addition to the above example, the aiming light irradiation is controlled so that the spot of the aiming light in the first region Sc and the second region Si is recognized by the operator separately and intermittently. May be. For example, the aiming light is irradiated only to the spot position of the first region Sc until the first to fourth scans, and the aiming light is irradiated only to the spot position of the second region Si until the next fifth to eighth scans, This is repeated. In this case, if the time of one scan is 0.1 seconds on average, the spot positions of the first region Sc and the second region Si are alternately switched and observed every 0.4 seconds. . In this example, when aiming light is observed in the first region Sc and the second region, the target treatment site can be aimed, and when the aiming light is not observed in each region, the tissue state of the treatment site Can be confirmed. Also in this case, the intermittent time is preferably set to 0.1 second or more and 1 second or less as described above.

  In the configuration of the scanning unit 50, a member configured to tilt one mirror in the xy direction may be used. Alternatively, scanning with a laser beam or the like may be realized by tilting the lens.

  As described above, each spot of the irradiation pattern set on the display 82 is divided into a plurality of groups, and each group is sequentially switched at a time when the spot of the aiming light is not observed simultaneously by the operator. Thereby, the surgeon can easily observe the fundus tissue at the spot position where the aiming light is not irradiated.

Next, a further modification of the second aiming mode will be described. First, an example where an irradiation pattern in which three or more spots are arranged horizontally is set will be described. FIG. 7A shows an example of a square pattern in which spots are arranged in 5 × 5. In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C, it is divided so that spots arranged in a row are included in one group, and spots arranged in a row overlap each group. It is divided into two groups so as not to be included. As shown in FIG. 7B, the first group Si1 is composed of an uppermost first stage, a lowermost fifth stage, and an intermediate third stage arranged in a row. As shown in FIG. 7C, the second group Si2 is composed of the second and fourth stages not included in the first group Si1, and the spots SSc at the four outermost corners of the irradiation pattern. Configured to include. The four corner spots SSc are configured to be included in both the first group and the second group. Then, the aiming light is irradiated so that the first group Si1 and the second group Si2 are sequentially switched at a time ST set so that the spot of the aiming light is not simultaneously observed due to the afterimage effect of the surgeon's eyes. Is done.

  Specific control will be described. The spot of the group of FIG.7 (b) and the spot of the group of FIG.7 (c) are irradiated alternately. The group in FIG. 7B is a first scan, and the group in FIG. 7C is a second scan. One scan in each group is a time (presentation time) in which the spots of the aiming light are turned on and each spot is scanned at high speed so that the operator can simultaneously recognize the entire spot in the group. The switching time ST between the first scan and the second scan is set to a time during which the spot of the group before switching and the spot of the group after switching are not simultaneously observed due to the afterimage effect of the surgeon's eyes. This time ST is preferably not less than 0.1 seconds and not more than 1.0 seconds. If the time ST is less than 0.1 seconds, the intermittent time between the first scan and the second scan is short, and it is difficult to observe the fundus tissue. If the time ST exceeds 1.0 seconds, the time is too long and it is difficult to aim the spot position of the entire 5 × 5 irradiation pattern. The time ST is more preferably 0.2 to 0.5 seconds, and is set to 0.25 seconds in this embodiment.

  In the first scan, the driving of the scanning unit 50 and the aiming light source (or shutter 16) is controlled by the control unit 70 so that only the spots (15) of the region Si1 including the spots SSc at the four corners are irradiated with the aiming light spot. Controlled by At each spot position, aiming light is irradiated with a pulse width Ta (for example, 3 ms) for a fixed time, and emission of the aiming light is stopped when the spot moves. Further, the driving of the galvanometer mirrors 51 and 55 is stopped so as to guide the aiming light to a position corresponding to the arrangement of the spots in synchronization with the emission of the aiming light. When the driving time of the scanning unit 50 capable of high-speed driving is on the order of microseconds, the spot moving time can be ignored. Therefore, the entire one scan time in the first scan is about 45 ms by irradiation of aiming light for 15 spots. When the time ST is 0.25 seconds (250 ms), the scan is performed about 6.7 times in the first scan.

  When 0.25 seconds have elapsed from the start of the first scan, the next second scan is performed. In the second scan, the scanning unit 50 and the aiming light source (or shutter 16) are driven so that only the spot positions (12) of the second group Si2 including the spot SSc at the four corners are irradiated with the aiming light spot. It is controlled by the control unit 70. In this case, since one scan is performed in 36 ms, the scan is performed 6.9 times in the second scan.

  Such a first scan and a second scan are alternately performed every 0.25 seconds to allow the operator to recognize a 5 × 5 square pattern, and the tissue under the spot position in almost the entire area of the irradiation pattern. The situation can be confirmed. At this time, since the spots SSc at the four corners of the irradiation pattern are simultaneously performed in the first scan and the second scan, the operator can easily recognize the irradiation range of the 5 × 5 irradiation pattern, and the treatment laser beam It is easy to determine the aiming range and focus. Further, since each group is divided so as to include spots arranged in one line of the irradiation pattern, it is easy for the operator to predict at which position the spot that is not observed simultaneously is located.

  Similarly to the above, even in a 4 × 4, 3 × 3 rectangular pattern, the spot positions arranged in a row are divided into two groups so as to be included in one group, and the first scan and the second scan are switched to aiming Irradiate light. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a 4 × 4 square pattern, and FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a 3 × 3 square pattern.

  In the 4 × 4 rectangular pattern, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first group Si1 includes four corner spots SSc, and is composed of the uppermost first stage and the lowermost fourth stage. . As shown in FIG. 8C, the second group Si2 is composed of the second and third stages located between the uppermost stage and the lowermost stage, and includes spots SSc at the four corners. Is done. Also in the case of a 4 × 4 rectangular pattern, the aiming light irradiation is alternately switched at intervals of 0.25 seconds by the first scan of the first group and the second scan of the second group.

  In the 3 × 3 square pattern, as shown in FIG. 9B, the first group Si1 includes four corner spots SSc, and is composed of the uppermost first stage and the lowermost third stage. . As shown in FIG. 9C, the second group Si2 includes a second stage located between the uppermost stage and the lowermost stage and includes spots SSc at four corners. Similarly to the above square pattern, the aiming light irradiation is performed so that the first scan shown in FIG. 9B and the second scan shown in FIG. 9C are alternately switched at intervals of 0.25 seconds. Is controlled.

  In the 2 × 2 square pattern shown in FIG. 10A, the four corner spots indicate the entire irradiation pattern. In the 2 × 2 square pattern, as shown in FIG. 10B, the first group Si1 is composed of, for example, two spots located in the upper left and lower right diagonal directions. As shown in FIG. 10C, the first group Si2 is composed of two spots located in the diagonal direction on the upper right and the lower left. Of course, it may be divided into two spots on the upper stage and two spots on the lower stage.

  Next, irradiation of aiming light with a linear pattern will be described. FIG. 11A shows a pattern in which five spots SLs, SL2, SL3, SL4, and SLe are arranged in a straight line. The linear pattern is also divided into a plurality of groups in the same manner as the rectangular pattern. The spots SLs and SLe at both ends of the linear pattern are preferably included in common in each group so that the operator can easily recognize the range (irradiation range) of the linear pattern. A pattern in which five spots are arranged in a straight line is divided into three groups. As shown in FIG. 11B, the first group Si1 is composed of spots SLs and SLe at both ends and a second spot SL2 from the left. As shown in FIG. 11C, the second group Si2 includes spots SLs and SLe at both ends and a third spot SL3 from the left. As shown in FIG. 11C, the first group Si3 includes spots SLs and SLe at both ends and a fourth spot SL4 from the left. Then, the driving of the scanning unit 50 and the irradiation time of the aiming light are controlled so that the irradiation of the aiming light spots of the first group Si1, the second group Si2, and the third group Si3 is sequentially switched at the time ST. In the case of this example, it is observed that one spot of aiming light is sequentially moved to the left at three spot positions sandwiched between the spots SLs and SLe at both ends. Thus, the operator can aim each spot and can sequentially observe the tissues at the three spot positions sandwiched between the spots SLs and SLe at both ends.

  Note that a curve pattern in which spots are arranged in a curved line at equal intervals has the same method as the above-described linear pattern, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Next, a fan pattern in which spots are arranged in three or more rows will be described. In the example of the sector pattern shown in FIG. 12A, the spots arranged in a curved line are arranged in three rows. The number of spots decreases from the outer side of the upper stage toward the inner side of the lower stage. The uppermost stage (first stage) consists of 6 spots, and the center (second stage) consists of 5 spots. The lower stage (third stage) is composed of four spots. Also in the fan-shaped pattern, when the spots are arranged in three or more rows, each group is configured so that the spots SSc at the four corners are included in each divided group. In this sector pattern example, it is divided into three groups. As shown in FIG. 12B, the first group Si1 includes six spots in the first stage and includes spots SSc at four corners (lower left and lower right). As shown in FIG. 12C, the second group Si2 is configured to include five spots on the second stage and spots SSc at the four corners. As shown in FIG. 12D, the third group Si3 is configured by four spots at the bottom (third level) and includes spots SSc at the four corners. And the spot of the aiming light of each group is switched every preset time ST (0.25 seconds). Thereby, at the time of aiming by irradiation of aiming light, it is possible to easily confirm the tissue under the position where the spot of each group is not set. Further, the irradiation area of the four corners makes it easy to grasp the entire irradiation area. Moreover, it is easy to predict spot positions of other groups that are not observed at the same time by dividing a group including spots arranged in one line of the irradiation pattern.

  Note that the sector pattern shown in FIG. 12A may be divided in the same manner as the square pattern.

  FIG. 13A shows an example of a circular pattern in which spots are arranged in a ring shape. The circle pattern shown in FIG. 13A is a pattern in which spots are arranged at equal intervals on a circle having a preset diameter. Here, it is assumed that 16 spots of the starting point Sa0 and the spots Sa1 to Sa15 are arranged. In the circular pattern of FIG. 13 (a), as shown in FIGS. 13 (b), 13 (c) and 13 (d), two adjacent spots leave a space for one spot position. The groups are sequentially arranged, and are divided into three groups in which spot positions with spaces are sequentially shifted. It should be noted that the starting point spot Sa0 is commonly included in each group so that the operator can clearly grasp the starting point of the scan. The first group Si1 is composed of 11 spots Sa0, Sa1, Sa2, Sa4, Sa5, Sa7, Sa8, Sa10, Sa11, Sa13, Sa14, and five spaces of spots Sa3, Sa6, Sa9, Sa12, and Sa15. Is open. The second group Si2 is composed of eleven spots Sa0, Sa2, Sa3, Sa5, Sa6, Sa8, Sa9, Sa11, Sa12, Sa14, Sa15, and five spaces of spots Sa1, Sa4, Sa7, Sa10, Sa13. Is open. The third group Si3 is composed of 11 spots Sa0, Sa1, Sa3, Sa4, Sa6, Sa7, Sa9, Sa10, Sa12, Sa13, Sa15, and five spaces of spots Sa2, Sa5, Sa8, Sa11, Sa14. Is open.

  Also in the circular pattern, the scanning of the spots of the first group Si1 to the third group Si3 is performed so as to be sequentially switched over the time ST. As a result, the operator observes the image as if a space is left and each spot position is moving clockwise. For this reason, a tissue at a spot position other than the spot Sa0 can be easily observed by the operator.

  The circle pattern dividing method is not limited to the above example. For example, it may be divided into two groups by a method in which one spot position space is provided.

  FIG. 14A shows an example of a triangular pattern in which six spots are arranged in a triangle. In this triangular pattern, three spots are arranged on one side, and are composed of six spots Sb1 to Sb6. In this triangular pattern, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the first group Si1 is made up of triangular vertex spots Sb1, Sb4, Sb6, and spaces between spots Sb2, Sb3, Sb5 between the vertices are vacated. It has been. On the contrary, the second group Si2 is composed of three spots Sb2, Sb3, and Sb5, and the vertex spots Sb1, Sb4, and Sb6 have spaces. Since the first group Si1 and the second group Si2 are sequentially switched at intervals of the time ST, the structure of the vacant space can be easily observed, and the aiming of the positions of the spot positions Sb1 to Sb6 is also achieved. Easily enabled.

  As described above, the spot space of the aiming light that is simultaneously observed by the operator and the space of the spot that is not simultaneously observed are sequentially switched, so that the fundus tissue at the aiming position of the aiming light can be easily observed, and the aiming light can be easily observed. It is also possible to easily observe the aiming position of the lens, and it is relatively easy to grasp the entire set irradiation pattern. For this reason, it is easy to confirm the irradiation area of the irradiation pattern, focus adjustment, and the like.

  In addition, in the square pattern (3 × 3 to 5 × 5) and the fan-shaped pattern, spots at the four corners (outermost circumference) of the pattern are always recognized by the surgeon. It becomes easy to recognize. In the straight line pattern, since the operator always recognizes the spot of the start point and the end point, the entire irradiation area can be easily recognized. In a circular pattern, a curved pattern, a circular pattern, a triangular pattern, and a 2 × 2 square pattern, since the entire pattern is recognized as rotating, it is easy to grasp the irradiation area.

  When the surgeon steps on the foot switch 81 after the aiming is completed, irradiation of the treatment laser beam is started. Based on the trigger signal from the foot switch 81, the control unit 70 emits the treatment laser light from the treatment laser light source 11 and controls the scanning unit 50 to sequentially irradiate the treatment laser light to each spot position. Each spot position is irradiated with the treatment laser light based on the set time of the pulse width of the treatment laser light, and the spot is moved during the rest time of the treatment laser light.

  In the above description, when the irradiation patterns such as the square pattern and the sector pattern are divided, the group is configured to include the horizontal rows of spots. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any configuration may be used as long as the spots are vertically included in a line.

  Further, in the above description, the group is divided so that the spot positions at the four corners which are corners on the figure such as a square pattern and a sector pattern overlap, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient if the corners of the irradiation pattern overlap in any group. For example, in a group obtained by dividing an irradiation pattern in which spots are arranged inside a polygon or a circle, the corner spots may overlap (recognized by the operator).

It is a schematic block diagram of the optical system and control system of an ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus. It is a perspective view of a scanning part. It is a figure which shows an example of the irradiation pattern of the spot of a treatment laser beam. It is a figure of the square pattern in which the spot was arranged by 5x5. It is a figure explaining irradiation of the spot of aiming light. It is a figure explaining the modification of irradiation of the spot of aiming light. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a 5 * 5 irradiation pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a 4x4 irradiation pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a 3x3 irradiation pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a 2 * 2 irradiation pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a linear pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a fan-shaped pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a circular pattern. It is explanatory drawing of irradiation of the aiming light in a triangular pattern.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Laser light source unit 11 Treatment laser light source 12 Aiming light source 20 Optical fiber 30 Observation optical system 40 Laser irradiation optical system 50 Scan part 60 Illumination optical system 70 Control part 80 Operation unit 100 Ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus

Claims (4)

A treatment laser light source that emits treatment laser light, an aiming light source that emits aiming light, and an irradiation unit that irradiates the patient's eye with treatment laser light and aiming light. An ophthalmic laser that scans and irradiates a spot of a treatment laser beam based on an irradiation pattern in which a plurality of spots are arranged in a predetermined pattern. In the treatment device,
Control means for controlling the irradiation of the aiming light by driving the scanning unit based on the irradiation pattern at the time of aiming before the irradiation of the treatment laser light, wherein a plurality of spots of the irradiation pattern are defined as the first region on the outer periphery. The beam is divided into a second region inside the first region, and the irradiation of the aiming light is controlled so that the surgeon can simultaneously recognize the spot of the aiming light in the first region, and the aiming light in the second region The irradiation of the aiming light is controlled so that the spot is intermittently recognized by the operator, or the spot of the aiming light in the first area and the second area is separately and intermittently recognized by the operator. An ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus comprising control means for controlling irradiation of aiming light as described above. The ophthalmic laser treatment device according to claim 1 .
The ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus, wherein the control means controls the irradiation of aiming light so that a predetermined number of scans is made in the second region with respect to the number of scans in the first region. The ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The control means further divides the second region into a plurality of regions, and controls the irradiation of the aiming light so that the divided regions have different scanning orders. . In the ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The irradiation pattern includes a square pattern in which a plurality of spots are arranged in a square,
When the number of spots in at least one of the vertical and horizontal lines of the outer periphery of the square pattern is three or more, the control means sets the first region to include spots in at least four corners of the spots of the square pattern. An ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus characterized by being divided.

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